Epilogue
Ismeralda
Three Months Later
My phone dances across the table I’m hunched over, focused on my latest experiment. I chuckle when I see who’s calling.
“Yes? How can I help you, husband?” I ask.
“Are you almost done for the day? You said you’d be home shortly after four,” Gabe grumbles.
My eyes squint at the time posted in the corner of the screen. It’s 5:15 already? I lost track of time. Again.
“I’m cooking Greenhorn Stew, if that sweetens the pot,” my husband adds.
Laughing, I say, “Just seeing you is sweet enough for me. I’ll be home in ten minutes.” Signing off, I hang my white lab coat on a hook, tidy my desk, and dash out the door, almost running smack dab into my employer.
“My, my. You’re sure in a hurry. But if I had that hunky man waiting for me, I’d be in a hurry, too,” Kat Von Steenberg says in a teasing tone. Gabe performed a cyber security assessment for Glam Products last month, winning over the existing security team, as well as Kat, with his knowledge and expertise. My boss now knows that Gabe isn’t just a handsome package.
I’ve been working at Glam Products, Inc for two months. Kat talked me into joining her team as Head of Product Performance—a fancy name for trying newly developed products myself, just like I did in my influencer role. Although now I can identify issues and the Glam development team can correct them before they get to the marketplace. Basically, I’m in charge of ensuring that her makeup performs as promised.
After the stalker incident, her sister resigned from the company and is now living somewhere in the south of France. She’s a recluse at heart, that’s why there’s never any photos of her on the internet. Although I’ve heard rumors that Lillith has met a Frenchman who’s keeping her busy.
I suspect that “resigned” is a euphemism for was forced to leave the company, but I’m sure Kat wanted to help her sister save face rather than calling the firing what it was.
This job is perfect for me, and I love it, although I still post makeup and skin care tips on my YouTube channel. It isn’t growing nearly as fast as it did from the publicity in the days after the “kidnapping” and wedding, but I’ve still got a sizable following—two million, give or take. But now I only post when I feel like it, not on some demanding schedule.
“He’s cooking for me, so I need to rush along,” I say, giving Kat a jaunty wave.
She laughs. “Tell Gabriel hello from me,” she shouts to my retreating back.
When I get home, tantalizing aromas greet me the minute I step in the door. A behemoth desktop computer and an array of monitors sit on the dining table, humming away. Gabe had to set up his office here since my office is filled with video recording equipment. Wonder what cyber criminal my husband is tracking now?
Gabe waltzes into the living room wearing a red-plaid apron, which doesn’t detract one iota from his masculinity. Even though he’s dressed casually, he no longer grumbles when I want to get dressed up and go out. The man rocks a traditional tux, and he happily puts one on when I feel the need to pretend that I’m a glamorous celebrity. It cracks me up when people ask him if he’s a stunt man, James Bond, or Glen Powell’s look-alike. I always reply, “He’s my bodyguard.”
“I missed you,” Gabe says as he yanks me into his arms and kisses me, causing my knees to weaken and my heart to pound out of my chest. Even though we’ve been married for three months, we act just like newlyweds. Unfortunately, my stomach rumbles again, breaking off our kissing session. Gabe steers me towards the kitchen with a chuckle.
“Sofia’s meeting us at the ranch,” Gabe says as he heads over to the large pot on the stove, then gives the contents a good stir.
“Great! I can’t wait to see her. Are Bernice and Bernie also joining?”
We’re having a little three-month getaway/anniversary party at the dude ranch. Before our guests arrive, I want to do a little more digging into the history of the area. After doing quite a bit of research I have a lead on a possible location used by Jesse James and his gang as a hideout to escape the law.
In a few days, we’re entertaining our guests with a trail ride and campfire dinner. I planned this event also to check up on Chloe’s and Jethro’s blossoming relationship. After Gabe introduced Jethro to his sister, they’ve become quite the item. When Gabe told me about Jethro’s luxurious cabin and that the guy owns the dude ranch, I wonder if Jethro isn’t keeping a secret about how he obtained his wealth. That’s a mystery for another time, I guess.
“The Berringers are hot on the trail of Scooter Davis, so they can’t join,” Gabe says.
I laugh. “What’s Scooter gotten into now?”
Gabe shrugs. “All Bernice said was Scooter might be dating another former child TV star.”
Good for her. I truly hope she finally finds what she’s looking for.
“I’m famished,” I say as I pour water into the glasses that Gabe already set out.
“Sit. I’ll bring over the bowls.”
I do as he says, and I dig in the minute he sets the bowl down. “This is delicious,” I say between bites.
“Cook at the Double Trouble gave me a tip for a new spice, and I tried it,” Gabe says.
My husband and I keep in touch with the dude ranch staff, it’s as if they’ve become our second family.
“What spice?”
Waggling his brows, my husband replies, “I was sworn to secrecy.”
The Double Trouble staff sure keep their recipes confidential. Gabe, after several tries, finally sweet-talked the cook into giving him part of the recipe, but I’m not surprised. What woman can resist Gabe?
“So this is crazy, but I found your fortune in my purse today and I remembered I never told you what it said,” I say.
Gabe’s eyes widen. “The fortune from the Lucky Wok ’N Roll?” I roll my eyes wondering how on earth he remembers the name of the place. He grins. “I’d forgotten all about that! What did it say?”
I pull the tiny slip of paper from my pocket and hand it over. The minute Gabe reads the message, a belly laugh rips from his chest.
“No kidding?” he says.
Giggling, I reply, “No kidding. At the time I thought it meant you’d fall in love with someone else that you’d meet on the book tour. I think that might be why I took it from you. Some kind of latent jealousy.”
He arches an eyebrow. “Why didn’t you think I’d fall in love with you?”
Biting my lip, I say, “I might have been kind of a diva when we first met.”
He snorts. “That’s an understatement.”
“However, I thought you were a Grumpy Gus, and I didn’t want anything to do with you either.”
“I was a little crabby at first, wasn’t I?”
Barking out a laugh, I say, “That’s an understatement.”
We grin at each other across the table. The diva and the grump finding love together. Go figure.
“I love you, Mr. Martin,” I say, just in case he’s unsure.
“I love you, Mrs. Martin,” he replies, then hands me back the tiny paper. I go to slip it back in my pocket, keeping it as a good luck charm, I guess. My eyes re-read the message first and I smile at the serendipity of the words on the page.
You will find the love of your life at a bookstore . He did. And so did I.
THE END